The Words

The Words follows author Clay Hammond (Dennis Quaid) as he arrives at a special event to read a lengthy excerpt from his latest novel, with the bulk of the proceedings detailing Clay’s story of a young, struggling writer (Bradley Cooper’s Rory Jansen) who stumbles upon an old manuscript and eventually decides to pass it off as his own. Problems ensue after a mysterious old man (Jeremy Irons) arrives on the scene claiming that Rory’s book is actually his own, while the film also details Clay’s present-day flirtation with a fetching young would-be writer (Olivia Wilde’s Daniella). It’s clear from the get-go that filmmakers Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal are looking to infuse The Words with a decidedly literary feel, as the movie, which generally unfolds like a novel, transpires in a deliberate fashion that’s perpetuated by an ongoing emphasis on its different timelines – with the whole thing consistently buoyed by a mystery that grows deeper and deeper as time progresses (ie one wants to see where all this is going). There’s little doubt, however, that the film is never quite able to become the engrossing drama Klugman and Sternthal have intended, with the arms-length atmosphere ensuring that the viewer’s interest dwindles steadily in the buildup to the oddly underwhelming finale (ie the movie, for the most part, seems as though it’s leading up to something far more profound and revelatory). Still, The Words is a solid drama that’s anchored by one of Cooper’s very best performances – with the film’s ambitious nature generally compensating for its sporadically less-than-fully-realized atmosphere.

**1/2 out of ****